bluesfan94
Registered User
Time and Date (CST): Monday, December 5, 9:00 AM
Venue: Al Janoub Stadium
Storyline: Going into the World Cup, this matchup would not have been entirely shocking, although Japan was certainly an underdog to advance from a group featuring European powers Spain and Germany. However, even those thinking Japan would face Croatia likely would have guessed that this matchup would be on the other side of the bracket. The Japanese team had a wild group stage, beating both of Spain and Germany in come-from-behind 2-1 wins while losing to Costa Rica, the clear 4th place team in the group. Japan's infectious positive attitude showed in their soccer, but it would be a mistake to ignore their talent. Bolstered with talent throughout their lineup, they play well together and will be a tough out for the 2018 World Cup runners up, who will likely be considered the favorites here.
Croatia, meanwhile, had an up and down group stage, featuring two 0-0 draws. Croatia's first match against eventual group winners Morocco was fairly evenly matched, with Croatia slightly edging the xG battle but neither side really looking dominant. Croatia then went down to Canada early, before potting four goals and winning handily. They then matched up against Belgium and held on to their clean sheet on the back of some bad Lukaku misses. Even with those inconsistent performances, Croatia is the likely favorite in part due to star midfielder Luka Modric and burgeoning star defender Josko Gvardiol, who are 17 years apart in age but equally important to the team.
The nations have faced each other 3 times before, with a 1-1-1 record, including two matchups in the World Cup, in 1998, when Croatia won 1-0, and 2006, when the team drew 0-0.
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